Act of Mercy
by The Dream-dance
Summary: Sometimes, even Orochimaru can be sympathetic.
1. Act of Mercy

AN- I am very interested in Orochimaru and Anko interaction. This is just one of many theories as to how the two originally met since we never really get to find out how they came across each other. I'm really looking forward to your, the readers', opinions and advice as to how I can improve, so don't forget to leave a review after reading. Thanks for taking your time out to read this. I much appreciate it.

**Disclaimer**: Anko and Orochimaru belong to Masashi Kishimoto

**Act of Mercy**

The street lights of Konoha did very little of what they were supposed to do on nights like this a young Orochimaru decided as he sauntered about in the rain minutes after being released from a meeting with Sarutobi-sensei. The meeting had run a little later than originally intended because JIRAIYA could not tear himself from his "research,' and someone had to venture out, find Jiraiya, and do the tearing for him. When the meeting finally came to a close, grey clouds had piled upon each other, and rain had soon followed, making Orochimaru's walk home not only its typical long one, but a wet one as well.

Despite his slight irritation, Orochimaru did not allow such an emotion to show on his ivory face as he roamed Konoha's streets and cut through dark, damp alleyways, and he could only DARE someone to jump him in his current state. He was well known throughout the village as being one of the Sannin, and Orochimaru felt confident that no one would bother him, but he knew human stupidity was something that should never be underestimated, especially when someone's in desperate need of money or food or. . .

. . .Orochimaru's thought stream screeched to a halt as did he.

Somewhere nearby, Orochimaru could hear the shrieking of . . _.A dying animal, perhaps?_ The ebony-haired man, though uninterested, followed the inhumane bellowing through the opening of an alley way. As he ventured further and further into the dark passage, the animalistic screams mutated into the cries of a very young human child , growing louder and clearer.

He found the wailing infant on top of a garbage can, a ratty blanket covering its pudgy body. Orochimaru watched the child as its arms and legs wiggled from underneath the dirty cloth before uncovering its face. The child's eyes were red and puffy and sealed shut from sheer emotional distress. Soft tufts of plum were matted down upon the infant's fragile head.

Sympathy was such an unfamiliar emotion for Orochimaru, but even he was capable of it from time to time, and the longer he watched this baby squirm in the cold, dark alley, the more he pitied it. The poor thing was all alone in the world without anyone to care for it. It would die here in this alley way and no one, with the exception of its parents, or parent in some cases, and Orochimaru himself, would know of its existence. How weak and insignificant it must have felt!

Pity forced Orochimaru's pale, powerful hand to reach out and stroke the top of the infant's head, comforting it. The child's eyelids slowly opened, and Orochimaru found himself staring into the light-brown eyes of a tiny girl, and as soon as his lurid yellow eyes met those brown irises, the child's weeping slowly ceased, and she reached her pudgy arms out to Orochimaru as if expecting this strange man to help her. Orochimaru raised a curious eyebrow to this and, for a long time, denied the child's request. It wasn't until the baby became frustrated and started wailing all over again that the inky-haired Sannin gave in and scooped the girl into his arms and pressed her to his muscled chest, mostly from irritation, and the child's sniffling stopped, replaced instead by charmed giggling as she examined the man before her.

Moments passed before Orochimaru decided to continue walking, figuring that if the child's parents were coming back for her, they would have already. Orochimaru was startled by the quick and sudden prick of pain that targeted his scalp, and he looked down only to find that his new companion had her tiny hand tangled in his long, wet, inky locks and was tugging away, giggling cheerfully, eyes sealed shut again. This time, from utter and complete blithe. Orochimaru, forgetting about things like "kindness" and "mercy," was beginning to wonder why he even chose to take this little nuisance with him, and thunder bellowed through the streets of Konaha as if reminding the Snake Charmer that it was very dangerous for unattended babies to be out in the rain. Orochimaru sighed and gently freed the little girl's hand from the entanglement of black weeds.

The child wiggled a little in her savior's arms until sleep began to lie upon her like a heavy blanket. She fought to keep her eyes open but to no avail, and she fell asleep in no time at all. Orochimaru stared down at his ward, watched as the world of dreams took her away from the cold and the rain and the fear of being abandoned all over again, and he couldn't stop the small smile that made its way across his pallid face. Another rumble of thunder prompted the man to continue his trail, but not on the same trail he had originally followed.

In his mind, he wondered what kind of person this child would grow up to be, what kind of power and ambitions laid inside a body so small, what would she contribute to her Village when she grew up. That is, if she lived long enough. . .

There was a heavy knock on the heavy, wooden door of Konoha's large orphanage, and then another before the middle aged governess opened it. There, standing in the freezing rain, was one of the Sannin. "Orochimaru-sama" was the only words that the woman managed to get out as the young man shoved the sleeping infant into her arms and left for home, not even waiting for the caretaker's response. Little did Orochimaru know, one day he'd learn all about that little girl's hopes and dreams, and he would be the one to give her power. .

AN- A bit of an edit. Jigoku-Dayu93 was kind enough to point it out. Anyways, the edit is in the last paragraph, explaing where Orochimaru took the infant. Thanks for pointing that out Jigoku^^


	2. Afternoon Bells

AN: So anyways, I've been inspired to continue this; however, the chapters are going to be in typical drabble format, so this is mostly just a collection of drabbles about Orochimaru's time with his purple-haired, dango-obsessed student. I'm aiming for five chapters, although things could change. Anyways, I do hope you enjoy this next installment. Thanks for taking your time out to read this.^^

Disclaimer: Anko and Orochimaru are both the property of Masashi Kishimoto.

Afternoon Bells

Sitting at a wooden desk in his apartment and flipping though the records of the year's graduating Academy Students was a bored and irritable Orochimaru. Sarutobi-sensei had suggested that the thirty-odd year old should take in students, "to enlighten the young leaves with his wisdom and skills," ("After all, Tsunade and Jiraiya have both taken on students, and look what good has come out of it," the older man had explained.) and while Orochimaru agreed wholly on his sensei's compliments, he still wasn't very ecstatic about taking in some snot-nosed brats no matter how talented their Academy teachers thought they might have been. Besides, the Sannin was very busy with his experiments and simply did not have time to spare on some . . .

. . . and that's when it hit him.

He could use a little help around the labs . .and weren't kids today so gullible? The little fools would never suspect that he was using them for his research. So, the snake charmer agreed.

Of course, picking his young wards was a lot harder than Orochimaru had thought. There wasn't a single talent in the mix as far as he could see, and Orochimaru was starting to think that Konoha was losing its touch. He paused when his sallow eyes fell upon the name "Mitarashi Anko" amongst the dozens of other bolded names. Something about this name seemed familiar. Ah! That's right! This was Mitarashi-san's adoptive daughter. At least, she WAS Mitarashi's daughter. The poor thing was orphaned once again when her parents were killed in action a year ago. Orochimaru studied the name with sudden interest, studied the name until it seemed to jump out at him. To be orphaned twice! She's an unlucky one. .There must be a lot of pent-up rage harbored within that little body, and her records aren't that bad either. He smiled . . .

Late that night when he was on the verge of sleep, his mind flashed brightly between images of that name, the corpses of her parents, and the thoughts "yet another orphan. . ."

~*~*~*~

It was a sun-filled early afternoon when a young Anko laid large, gapping eyes upon her new sensei, and she had to fight to keep her jaw from dropping open in sheer awe of the god-like man before her, but that didn't keep her from hearing the Village bell tower as it counted the hours in loud, long "bongs," and upon that last "bong" her teacher opened his mouth and spoke his name. Anko almost fainted, and Orochimaru only watched with a tired expression on his face as the child's bony legs gave out, and her body slowly sunk to the ground.


	3. Parents

AN: Ahh, yess. The next installment on my drabble collection. I do hope you enjoy this.

Disclaimer: Do I really have to say it? Ooookaay . . Anko and Orochimaru are both the property of Masashi Kishimoto.

Parents

One evening after training, as Orochimaru walked with his young student underneath an orange-tinted sky, the topic of parents managed to slip through the long intervals of silence, silence that was quite common when he was with his student, and he listened as Anko brought up her parents' deaths. He "listened" as in "half-listened" because he already knew the story, and since it had failed to intrigue him the first time around, he highly doubted it would the second time. He half-listened also because he was interested in how she felt over such a loss. He wanted to listen for any signs of anger and contempt for the ninja who took the lives of her false parents.

"Somehow . . . I kinda knew that they weren't my real parents," and that grabbed his attention completely. No one, as far as Orochimaru knew, had told Anko that she had been adopted, but he supposed it would have been obvious to the dear child because she didn't look a thing like Mitarashi-san and his wife. "It was in the way mama hugged me. It was kinda like she felt, I don't know. . . .uncomfortable with touching me, like she regretted something." Of course, the man's wife HAD lost a child before Anko came along, he thought as they continued down the road. Hmph . . .She probably felt like she was betraying the other kid. "I guess the fact that I didn't look like her or dad sorta helped me figure it out, too."

She didn't look up at her sensei as she spoke to him, only looked forward . . . to her future. "I asked them once who I looked liked the most, and mama said I took after her own mom and dad, but they didn't have any pictures around of them, so I couldn't check. . ." He stopped listening, already bored with the topic. They were starting to close in on the dango shop that he had promised to take her to if she did well in her training. Even though he was tired, Orochimaru was a man of his word. Besides, if it got her to concentrate more the Sannin would be more than happy to spend every cent he earned on treats. The child was a hard worker, there was no doubt about that, but she also had a short attention span that proved to be a nuisance more than once during training. Not to mention that he needed Anko's trust.

It wasn't until he heard his name that he turned full attention back to his protégé.

"Hmmm," he managed, still not looking at her.

"Whatever happened to your parents, Orochimaru-sensei?" He stared at her through the corner of his eyes. He figured that particular question would come up eventually, although he hadn't quite expected it to be so soon. "Jiraiya-sama told me you lost your mom and dad when you were really young." Figures, HE would be the one to tell her that.

"Lots of children in my generation lost their parents at young ages, Anko. A war was going on at the time, and becoming an orphan wasn't so uncommon." He examined her face as he spoke and saw a hint of pity imbedded in her soft, brown eyes.

He hated that look.

He always hated that look, hated it even when he was a child. "Death is inevitable during war, and there will be orphans." He stopped, allowing is words to sink in. God forbid he would ever see Anko pity something ever again. He didn't need that. He needed someone who would be willing to do whatever he asked. " Pity will not bring back our dead parents, Anko. We must train ourselves so we may be strong enough to protect our loved ones. If we have the strength and power ,then there's no need to worry about things like war. That's why you're here with me, Anko-chan."

Anko paused in place when she heard this. Somehow, it made her feel special, made her feel the warmth she hadn't felt since, well . . . she couldn't remember. "Let's keep moving, Anko," and she started up again, following mere inches behind him, within his shadow.

The dango shop was in full view now, and Anko didn't have to see it to know that it was there. She only had to take a whiff to know that fresh dumplings were waiting for her to come gobble them up. Even when she had parents she never got to go to the dango shop THIS much, and as he watched his dear apprentice wash the rice treat down with green tea that drizzles down her chin, he decided that he is not going to die and leave the poor thing alone thrice


	4. A Minor Setback

AN: Part four! Woot! Many thanks to my readers and reviewers for your support and encouraging words. I hope you enjoy this next installment as much as I had writing it.^^

**Disclaimer:** Anko and Orochimaru belong to Masashi Kishimoto

A Minor Setback

His dear student's blood was seeping through her tattered clothing as she lay there in the mud, staggering breathing, and Orochimaru struggled to hide is disdain by biting is bottom lip. He spared his injured apprentice another displeased glance, and then his sallow eyes turned on the pathetic missing nin in front of him. The idiot was actually laughing, obviously not aware of whose student he had just sliced open.

Rain beat down upon the bodies of the three figures, and Orochimaru silently cursed himself. He was greatly vexed, no doubt, but not at Anko, nor at the little worm (_no . . . rat_), cackling in the cold rain, hands fondling the kunai that he had used to spill Anko's precious blood. No, no. Not at them. He was irritated with himself for thinking that she could take on this vermin. He had really blinded himself with that hope, and now little Anko was bleeding to death.

The rat opened his eyes after that long, feel-good laugh and saw a terrifying snake rush at him at an incredible speed. He saw a blade flicker as lightening flashed through the sky, lighting up the world. He saw snake's fangs in a grinning, seemingly-human mouth and slit pupils imbedded in sick, yellow eyes, and then the rat saw no more, breathed no more, and, more importantly, laughed no more.

~*~*~*~

Orochimaru crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against the wall of Tsunade's apartment. He counted himself lucky that the little rat had attacked him and Anko so close to the Village, or the Sannin probably would not have made it on time. The medic nin's healing hands worked at a gentle and determined rate, moving over Anko's sliced belly and stitching skin to skin with green chakra. _The color of life, _he thought as he drip-dried upon Tsunade's carpet.

Once the medical Sannin finished her deed, she stood up, away from the bed that comforted the sleeping child, and she gave Orochimaru a skeptical and questioning look. "What were you doing out there," it asked. Orochimaru ignored the look and the question it hid and stepped toward his student with the potential that blinded him. Somehow, the yellow-haired woman found the answer in his silence, and she had to really fight to keep her anger in check before speaking.

"Damn it Orochimaru! You have to stop taking her with you on your little "trips," she managed in a low voice. Orochimaru only smiled as he carefully placed a cool hand upon his student's brow. Her breathing had steadied impressively quick.

"A minor setback, Tsunade-hime," he replied in his usual confident and frightfully calm tone.

"A MINOR setback?! If you hadn't been so close to the Village, Anko might be dead right now!"

"But we were, and that's something that I'm very grateful for. I made a mistake, is all. I thought Anko could handle that fool, so I had her go in first. I thought wrong, but I've learned from this, Tsunade-hime."

"She isn't some experiment of yours." Tsunade was right behind him then, right up to his ear, but her voice, regardless of their proximity, was loud, harsh, and very sharp. "She's a kid, and she doesn't need this Hell you're putting her through. You act as if you don't care what happens to her!" Silence met her once again as he left the room and slowly headed for the kitchen for God knew what.

No, he cared. He cared a lot. .to an extent. Why else would he spend so much time on training her and taking care of her? He could have just left her on the streets to die and rot just like her parents instead of taking her into his own home. This statement hit him like a ton of bricks as he prepared a boiling pot of tea.

Maybe. .caring was his problem. . .


	5. That Single Note

AN: Whew! I finally worked up the inspiration to type up this last little drabble. It's not quite what I was expecting, but I do hope you all will enjoy it.

I want to thank all my readers and reviewers for the encouragement! It means a lot to me. Thanks for taking your time out to read this.

**Disclaimer**: Anko and Orochimaru are both property of Masashi Kishimoto.

That Single Note

The room was cold and dark, very dark. . .but it mattered not. He only had to hear Anko's whimpering and the scratching of her nails upon the concrete floor to know the condition of both her body and mind.

"Oro . . ." A pause for breath, perhaps? " Orochi . .maru . . .sen . sei," her usually spirited voice rasped in desperate pleas. "What's . .hap . .pening . .to me?"

Then, there was nothing but a thud and silence, very heavy silence.

Orochimaru frowned.

True, his curse mark was quite a burden to whomever carried it, but he had certain hopes for Anko. Approaching his unconscious apprentice, Orochimaru almost resisted scooping her up for the sheer disappointment he felt. She should have lasted longer in her struggle!She was supposed to be filled with bitterness and be angry about her life, about her parents.

A sigh escaped a pair of bloodless lips, and, as he picked up Anko's limp body, Orochimaru decided that he had been far too kind and far too careful with her state of mind. If he had been crueler, perhaps the Curse Mark would have consumed Anko, but . . .perhaps not.

Yet another sigh. He certainly was making a lot of mistakes lately.

He carried the child to her room of his underground hide out and sat her upon the bed, covering her now shivering form with the white sheets. One small hand was in a spasm, and Orochimaru studied this for a moment before taking it into his own, larger hand. Anko's forehead was sopping with perspiration he noted, so the Sannin gently placed his free hand on her brow and felt the heat that had quickly gathered there. A fever . . .

That's all?

Hmph! He supposed he should have been glad for that, especially since the chances of death were very great. He couldn't afford to have little Anko die on him like this, what with Tsunade already breathing down his neck and all.

He supposed he'd feel bad for it too, really bad.

Maybe he HAD become too attached to her, and this thought alone made him bite his bottom lip and scowl at the young creature sleeping unsoundly in the bed before him. She was whimpering again, and her hand in Orochimaru's wiggled, yet so far that weren't any signs of the Curse taking control.

All his hopes for her were no more. . .

She wasn't what he desired in an apprentice. _Such a shame_, he thought as he dropped Anko's hand and stepped away from the scene. There wasn't much he could do for her anyway. . . .It was all on her and her decision.

~*~*~

An hour later, or perhaps a day later, Anko awoke to the sound of deep silence and a bitter feeling of abandonment. There was a single note laying on the small table next to her bed, and the groggy genin reached out for it, knowing all too well who had written it.

For a minute, for one single breathless moment, the girl considered his invitation, but then a sharp pain in her shoulder brought her back to reality.

She crumbled up the piece of paper with ,no doubt, second thoughts. . . .

. . .But her new found pride wouldn't allow her to go to him.

He didn't need her anyway, right?

AN: So, the end . . ? I do hope you have enjoyed this as much as I have. ^^ Now, what were Orochimaru's true motives behind leaving Anko a note instead of waiting for her to awaken? Was his disappointment too great for him to look at her any longer, or was he just finished with her completely and decided she wasn't worth his words? Perhaps there were other reasons behind it? Well, that's for you all to decide.

Thanks for reading!


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